Denton County property owners have already saved over $353 million from property tax protests in 2023.
Denton Central Appraisal District is responsible for estimating the market value of real property and personal property in Denton County annually. Property owners have the right to contest those values each year, whether the value is raised or not. This data has been compiled by O’Connor based on initial and the current tax rolls provided by Denton Central Appraisal District.
O’Connor estimates total 2023 property tax savings as a result of Denton County property tax protests will total about $236.01 million based on reviewing data for property tax savings from prior years as reported on Denton County Property Tax Trends.
Home owners have saved about $155 million already in property tax protests in 2023. Denton Central Appraisal District shows they have reduced values for 12,365 houses in 2023 tax protests. The average assessment reduction is $73,964 with average property tax savings of $12,582, based on a 2.7% tax rate and not considering homestead exemptions.
Apartment owners scored the largest total property tax savings and the largest savings per tax protest. Apartment tax protests resolved so far in 2023 have reduced the initial value of $5.9 billion to $4.3 billion, reducing tax assessments by $1.5 billion. The total property tax savings YTD for apartment owners is estimated at $118 million, based on a tax rate of 2.7%. Apartment tax protests in Denton County averaged a reduction of 26.18% and estimated property tax savings per apartment tax protest of $504,413. This includes hearing results for 234 apartments already in 2023.
The largest percentage assessment reduction for Denton County commercial property tax protests is 72.30% for land / miscellaneous, including 2,850 tax protests resolved in 2023. The initial value of $1.2 billion was reduced to $33 million. The total tax savings for these owners is approximately $9 million based on a 2.7% tax rate, or $3,197 per tax parcel.
Hotel owners have successfully reduced the assessed value of hotels protested and resolved already from $26 million to $20 million. This generated a tax assessment reduction of $5 million with tax savings of $556,652 based on a 2.7% tax rate. This includes property tax hearing results for $5 hotels with average property tax savings of $111,330 per hotel for hearings completed in 2023 with reductions. The average percentage reduction for hotel tax property tax protests is 22.09% YTD for protests with a reduction.
Office building owners have achieved the second highest aggregate property tax savings totaling $15 million for 367 office building tax protests resolved YTD in Denton County. The initial value of $77.5 million has been reduced to $58.9 million, a reduction of tax assessment of $18.5 million. Property tax savings averaged $43,341 based on a 2.7% tax rate. The percentage assessment reduction for office buildings is 24.00% for office tax protests resolved with a reduction.
Denton County property owners have completed tax protests in 2023 with a reduction for 16,637 properties, reducing the initial assessed value of $17.3 billion to $13 billion, an 210.85% average reduction. The average tax savings per property protested is $817,905 including protests for houses and commercial properties.
Apartments with the largest 2023 property tax assessment reduction include the following:
- The owner of the 800 OAK POINT INVESTMENTS in Denton Texas reduced their property tax assessment from $124 million to $63 million, a $21.5 million reduction, or 51%. This tax assessment reduction reduces their property taxes by $1 million based on a 2.7% tax rate.
- MEZZO GARDENS LP ETAL, owner is saving $1 million in 2023 as a result of reducing their initial property tax assessment of $101 million to $52 million, a $49 million reduction. This was a 49% property tax reduction for this apartment.
- MID AMERICA APARTMENTS LP owners reduced their property taxes by 36%. The initial 2023 property tax assessment of $130 million was reduced to $83 million, a $47 million reduction in the 2023 property tax assessment.
Denton Central Appraisal District has a staff of over 77 professionals who value property in Denton County. However, the above examples illustrate the large potential for property tax reductions available through the property tax appeal process.
The 2023 property tax assessment reduction is based on comparing the initial values sent by Denton Central Appraisal District with the most recent tax assessments for 2023. This data does not include properties protested with no reduction, which increases the average reduction. In a typical year, about 26% of Denton County tax parcels will be protested, or about 91,691 tax protests out of a total of $1.8 million tax parcels.
Property owners are encouraged to scrutinize their annual property tax assessments and appeal annually. Well over half of property tax protests in Denton County are successful in a typical year.
